Sarah Townsend: Living the dream as a freelance copywriter

If you read my last post you'll know I've just taken the leap from full-time employment to freelance copywriting.

Two days in and you're probably expecting me to be still dressed in my PJs, cultivating a wild writerly beard, and typing the same sentence about 'all work and no play' over and over again. Because freelance is a crazy, chaotic thing, right? A rebellious path that veers away from the straight and narrow of everyday life. Where freelancers hide in the shadows, with a look of reckless abandon in their eyes.

Well... no. It turns out that freelancing is actually something that very sane people do - and can do very successfully. And, as I've had the good fortune to know some of these amazing people over the years, you better believe that I chatted to as many as possible about working in a freelance capacity before I made my decision.

Sarah Townsend is one of these well-respected freelancers and, to be honest, one of my favourite people on Twitter. She has operated her own freelance copywriting, copy editing and proofreading business for over 15 years, so she knows a thing or two about how to make it work.   

With that in mind, it seemed a great time to ask her a few questions about a career I'd wager more than most writers dream about at some stage. And she was generous enough to answer...

Sarah Townsend

You’ve got an extensive copywriting background, covering both agency and client-side work. What made you decide to start out on your own all those years ago?

I was working as an editor for a magazine publisher in Bristol when I became pregnant with my first child. I’d had enough of the commute from Gloucester, and wanted to work part-time when the baby – now my 15-year-old daughter – was born. Deciding to work for myself was the perfect solution.

How did you prepare for starting your own business – was this something you had experience in previously, or were you starting from scratch?

With a shocking lack of planning and a huge amount of enthusiasm! I had no business plan, I just knew what I wanted to do. I designed myself some stationery (apologies to any designers reading this) got some business cards and letterhead printed and sent out a few letters on spec.

Freelance work from my previous employer kept things ticking over while I looked for new clients, and I was fortunate enough to gain regular editing work for a local book publisher the month after I started. They recommended me to another business, who recommended me to another business… and so it’s continued for the past 15 years.

Everyone can write (or so they might think). How do you convince people they need your services as a professional copywriter?  

The best clients are those that appreciate the value of good copy and compelling content. They might not fully understand the benefits until they start working with a professional copywriter, but they’re open to the idea.

Because I get all of my business through recommendation, the clients who approach me have already identified a need for good copy. I might need to talk them through the process and the benefits, but thankfully they don’t require too much convincing.

What do you love about working for yourself? And is there a downside?

The things I love the most are the flexibility and the variety. I can spend the morning meeting a new manufacturing client, the afternoon writing a training workshop for a health charity and the rest of the week writing a website for a coffee company. You can’t beat it.

As a parent, the flexibility means I’ve never missed a school play or sports day, even if it means finishing work later that night once the kids are in bed.

Negatives… I guess if you’ve worked in a busy office, like I did, you can miss the banter and the buzz. Social media and networking events can help to fill the gap, but you have to like your own company.

Money can be an issue to begin with – leaving a job with a monthly salary and benefits can be hard. I quickly began earning more than I had when I was employed, but I was fortunate, and it can take years to get used to the unpredictability and the occasional quiet times.  

What are the qualities a freelance copywriter needs to be successful?

You need two types of quality to be a successful freelance copywriter: those that enable you to be a successful freelancer, and those that enable you to be a successful copywriter.

Successful freelancers are motivated, focused, tenacious, organised, ambitious and single-minded. You won’t get far if you get distracted by daytime TV or spend hours on social media (though the latter can help to build your business if you use it wisely). You also need to be great at time management and able to work well under pressure – there’s plenty of that!

As for being a successful copywriter… where to start! Aside from the ability to write concise, engaging, sparkling copy, it helps to have creativity, versatility, attention to detail, curiosity, imagination, a good understanding of business, and a genuine love of language.